


Tell Her...

by GonzoCarm



Category: Sweet Magnolias (TV)
Genre: #TyAnnie, #tynnie, F/M, Sweet Magnolias Netflix, They call it puppy love...can it turn into something real?, What happened after the season 1 finale - my thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:27:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24814543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GonzoCarm/pseuds/GonzoCarm
Summary: This is what I think should happen after the Season 1 Finale of Sweet Magnolias. So many ideas are swirling around in my head. This is just one of them. Hope you like the story! This is all my creation. I don't own anything. I just take the liberty of dreaming for Annie and Ty.
Relationships: Annie Sulivan and Ty Townsend, Annie Sullivan and Tyler Townsend, Annie and Ty, Ty Townsend and Annie Sullivan, Tyler Townsend and Annie Sulivan
Comments: 12
Kudos: 65





	1. Chapter 1

Tyler felt when Annie turned to look at him as she was dancing with Simon and he turned to look at her because in his mind there was no other option. Why? Because somehow, he was in tune to where Annie was at every turn. As they locked eyes there was so much that he wanted to say to her. So much that he needed to say to her. Annie was the first one to look away. It seemed that she caught herself and she inched closer to Simon. Instinctively Ty stiffened and was about to squeeze Cee-Cee’s waist harder but stopped himself realizing that it was Annie that he wanted to hold and not Cee-Cee. Why was his life so complicated? Why couldn’t he just go up to Annie and tell her how he felt?

As Ty looked on at Annie dancing with Simon and as he danced with Cee-Cee, he could not help the hesitation that he felt once Cee-Cee grabbed his face and pulled him closer. _What was he doing?_ Why did he continue this lie? He was dating Cee-Cee to try and quash the feelings he was starting to have towards Annie. And if he were honest with himself, he would acknowledge that his feelings for Annie had started before that kiss a few weeks back. He had been noticing for months how pretty Annie was. How he seemed to not be able to contain himself and his eyes would dart to her mouth every single time they were in proximity of one another. Which had not been often since that kiss. How even a stupid meme of a cat hanging from a tree made his heart skip and made him smile sheepishly just because Annie had sent it. Truth was that Annie made Ty feel giddy. Happy. Whole.

Tyler had also been noticing for weeks how Simon hung around her and – as God was his witness – he hated every minute that they spent together. If he were honest with himself, he would say that it was jealousy. Pure, no doubt about it, plain ole’ jealousy. He had wanted to wring Simon’s neck all night long but for him that was second nature now. The first pangs of jealousy for Ty had been when he had seen Annie the day after the kiss as she walked towards the desk next to Simon. Overhearing Simon tell Annie that he had saved a seat for her created a knot in his stomach and he had wanted to pull Annie against him and sit her next to him. That way Simon couldn’t be near her. And the way Simon held Annie now, the way he looked at her so adoringly, the way he put his arms around her waist, was killing him. But he did nothing about it. And while his thoughts were with Annie and his feelings for her and no one else, he had to take his eyes off them because Cee-Cee was demanding his attention. Gabe had warned him that this was going to backfire. That dating Cee-Cee to give Annie and everyone else clarification was going to be a mistake. That he would regret it. And he had, he still did. He smiled at Cee- Cee and said: “What?” Truly not caring but he had to say something. He had to keep up the pretense.

He started to back away from Cee-Cee and she grabbed his face to hold on to him. He made himself smile at her again and then it all went to hell…

How the fuck did he end up at the hospital? It was a big jump of time. Time that he had lost in what seemed like a nanosecond. He had so much adrenaline running through him that he found himself sitting down – alone – and looking at his bloodied hands at the hospital. Jackson and he were about to fight. He abandoned Cee-Cee and truly did not care. He was about to fight Jackson but if he was honest it had more to do with their rivalry than with Cee-Cee. Yeah, Jackson had insulted Cee-Cee and she had punched him. And he was going to beat the crap out of Jackson for insulting her because she was a lady. Not because he had genuine feelings for her. He was a gentleman. His mom had raised him well. But instead he had watched in horror as Kyle got behind the wheel and then he remembered yelling at Annie for attempting to get in the car without even considering how dangerous it could be. But Annie didn’t even pay attention to him. He jumped the steps on Jackson’s porch to reach out to Annie to stop her, but she was on a mission to save Kyle. He was supposed to protect his brother and protect her too. He had failed miserably on both counts. As he had failed in so many other things where Annie was concerned. Gabe had been close behind him as Kyle took the wheel and Annie lunged in the car. “No…” he remembered his screams as Gabe held him back and told him that they would follow them in his car. Ty immediately reacted and ran towards Gabe’s car. He couldn’t get to it fast enough.

He couldn’t think of what happened or transpired next without starting to cry. They were catching up to Kyle and Annie and they saw firsthand how Kyle began losing control of the car and skidding into a ditch at a high speed. He didn’t know how to drive for goodness sakes. Ty screamed and Gabe stopped the car. Ty opened the door and ran towards the totaled car. “Kyle! Annie!” He started screaming. “Call out. Are you guys okay?” Ty screamed, near hysterics. Gabe stopped running and called 911. They were going to need help to get them out of the vehicle. He couldn’t lose his senses because visibly Ty was not thinking clearly. He was too scared. Two of the most important people in his life were in danger. He would not be able to think clearly.

Ty lunged down to the ground since the car was on its side and saw Annie. She was bloodied and it seemed like her head had hit the passenger side window because it was cracked and there was blood on it. “Oh my God. Oh my God, Annie.” He tried to break the window because the door handle was to the ground and he couldn’t get to it. He was banging on the window to see if it would break. He had to get to them. In the distance he heard sirens and suddenly Gabe was next to him trying to pull him up. He didn’t let him. When Gabe tried again, grabbing a hold of his arm, he flung him away. “I’m not leaving them.” Ty said. Just then he saw Annie flicker her eyes open and upon realizing where she was, the abject fear in her eyes as she looked at him made him panic as well. “Annie…Annie…” he started. “Listen to me. Listen to me…don’t panic. Don’t panic. See if you can lower the window so I can try to see if I can help you.”

Annie looked at him and tried to move her arm. It seemed that she was okay to move it and slowly reached for the button to lower the window. It started to budge after a second or so. She heard Ty: “Good. That’s good Annie. Don’t move, okay?” She felt his hand reach in as the window stopped after an inch or two. Annie felt Ty’s hand on the side of her head. “It’s okay. It’s okay.” She scrunched in pain, making Ty stop his caress. He brought his hand back and it was filled with her blood. She must have hit her head. He stared at his hand and then the police and paramedics yanked him away and there was nothing he could do. He was sent behind the yellow tape and he didn’t know how to fight to stay with them. He clasped his hands together and saw how his other hand got some of Annie’s blood on it. They both had to be okay. They had to be.

He came back to the present when he saw Ms. Dana Sue sit next to him. “How you doing?”

“How is Annie?” Tyler didn’t even respond to her question. It didn’t matter how he was doing. All that mattered were Annie and Kyle.

“She has a bad cut to her head. But no broken bones, thank God. She will be sore and in some pain for a few days but she’s out of the woods. Your mom told me that Kyle had more serious injuries but that he should be fine. Broken arm, couple of bruised ribs. A few weeks at home with your mom taking care of him and my comfort food should whip him back into shape.”

“I should have been in that car Ms. Dana Sue. It should have been me. I couldn’t get to Annie fast enough. I wanted to stop her at all cost, but I couldn’t get to her. I’m so sorry. So, so, so, so, sorry.” Tyler stated, as a few tears rolled down his cheeks.

“Ty. I know that. I am not blaming you. I am not blaming Kyle or Annie. It was an accident. Annie sees you guys as family. She must have seen Kyle distressed and nothing was going to stop my baby from trying to help him.”

Ty hung his head. “I was so scared. I have never been so scared in my life. If anything would have happened to either of them, I don’t know that I could forgive myself.”

“Have you seen Kyle?” Dana Sue asked.

“No. He can’t have visitors yet. Besides mom would want to be the first one to see him. I can wait. Just knowing that he is going to be okay is comforting.”

“Well…” Dana Sue said. “Annie is out of the woods and they placed her in a room for overnight observation. If you’d like, you can go in and see her. She’s in the third room on the left-hand side, right down that corridor. She may be sleeping or loopy but I’m sure she’d like to see you.”

“Really?” Ty said, hopeful. “I can go sit with her?”

“Of course, honey. I even think she’d like that.”

Tyler finally smiled slightly. “Thanks Ms. Dana Sue.” He said, as he got up and made his way to her room. As he stood in front of her door, he knocked softly and peeped his head in. He was afraid to look at her, not knowing what condition she was in. But she was sitting upright and when she saw him, she smiled. “Hey…” she said, as she sat up straighter. “How’s Kyle?”

Tyler approached the bed and sat down on the side of the bed, facing her. “He’s going to be okay. Broken arm, bruised ribs but he will recover.” Annie looked okay to Ty. She had a huge bandage on her forehead and assumed there were stitches on her head, but she had good color and was not looking pale. All these things were good signs.

“I’m glad.” Annie said. “You okay?” she asked, as she saw his expression. She couldn’t quite figure it out. It seemed he was sad, mad and relieved all at the same time. It’s not like Tyler had been talking to her much lately but she did know him since they were in diapers. So, she was attuned to his facial expressions and his moods. Lately he had been broody. But how could he not? His world had exploded in the past few months.

Annie was brought back to reality at Tyler’s voice: “Why did you get in the car Annie? Didn’t you hear me scream and try to reach you?”

“I honestly didn’t.” Annie said, truthfully. “I just knew Kyle needed one of us and I couldn’t be sure if you were behind me or if you would make it in time to get in the car, so I just acted. He needed one of us Ty. I was the closest one.” Annie stated. She was not going to apologize to anyone – not even Ty – at trying to reach Kyle before he did something stupid. She had failed but she also had, had to try.

Tyler jumped from the bed and started pacing the hospital room, back and forth, back and forth, as he spoke quickly: “I should have protected you and him. I didn’t do either. I can’t believe he got behind the wheel. What was he thinking?”

“What is really eating at you Ty?” Annie knew that he would eventually tell her. They had reached a point in which Ty could no longer hide his feelings and was ready to talk about everything. It had taken this tragedy but maybe her and Tyler could get back to the way things were before that kiss. Annie was finally starting to recognize the old Ty. The one she had fallen for.

“Is it my fault?” He finally voiced his thoughts out loud. “He said for me to stop ignoring him. Have I been? When? How? I mean we have been at odds for a bit. And we have not agreed on some issues, but I didn’t think that he thought I was ignoring him. He’s my brother. I would do anything to protect him.”

“He knows that.” Annie said, as she reached and grabbed his hand when he passed her, near her hospital bed. That stopped him in his tracks, and he looked down at her as she continued: “He is probably going through a hard time right now because of your mom and dad and Noreen leaving. He liked her. I know you don’t. But he did. He had a lot going on and maybe it just came to a head. But he loves you Ty. He looks up to you. You guys will talk about it and fix what’s broken between you.”

“How about between you and me?” Ty asked, as he sat back down on her bed and did not let go of her hand. Tyler saw the surprise in her eyes at his question. “Are we going to be okay? He asked again.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Annie said, nervously, looking down.

“Yes. You do.” Tyler said, emphatically. “You know exactly what I am asking.” Ty finalized as he squeezed her hand lightly and started caressing her palm with his thumb.

Annie looked back up at him and said: “We’re okay. I get it. You’re with Cee-Cee and now you understand that in my drunken stupor, I did something stupid…something we should both forget…”

Tyler interrupted: “Did it really mean nothing to you?” At Annie’s silence he continued: “I know I screwed up and made you feel like a laughingstock at school. And in trying to fix it, I fucked up again. I never meant to hurt you. And I did want to talk to Gabe about it because I was confused. And I went about it the wrong way. But I promise you, I didn’t know that Jackson was around. If I did, I would have never played the message. Annie, you have to believe me.” He said, hoping maybe against hope that they could overcome this.

“What does it matter now?” Annie questioned. “Like I said, you’re with Cee-Cee now and things seem to have calmed down at school.”

“But you haven’t answered my question. Did it really mean nothing to you?” Ty insisted.

Annie looked at him. “Ty I was drunk. Can’t we just let it go?” She said, as she let go of his grip. She couldn’t have Ty touch her right now. Her feelings for him were a jumble and she wasn’t sure where he was going with this line of questioning. Annie didn’t want to hope. She had resigned herself already that Ty only saw her as a friend. Maybe even as family but not as someone to have feelings for and potentially have a relationship with.

“That’s not an answer.” Ty pushed her, feeling a bit sad that she had pulled her hand away. He was comforted by the feel of her hand with his. He wanted to reach out to her again, but he didn’t dare. Not when they were arguing about Cee-Cee and about the kiss and how he had handled the situation.

“What does it matter?!” Annie repeated, a bit stronger this time. She didn’t want to discuss this. She would talk – literally – about anything else, but this? This was too close to her heart and to her emotions and if they continued this conversation, she was liable to spill her real feelings for him. And then where would they be?

“It matters Annie.” Ty told her again.

“Why?”

“Because it meant something to me.” Ty confessed. “I was taken aback for sure. I thought that it may have been you being drunk and not knowing what you were doing but that kiss stirred feelings in me that I have tried to deny. And hearing you say it meant nothing, was like a slap in the face to me.”

“Why?” She kept repeating. “You’re with Cee-Cee.” Annie said, clearly confused.

“That’s the third time in the span of five minutes or less that you say that. Cee-Cee has nothing to do with this. This is about you and me.” Tyler rebutted.

“Cee-Cee has everything to do with this.” Annie countered back.

“How?” Ty said, getting frustrated, running his hands through his hair. Annie almost smiled at that. Any time that Ty would get upset or frustrated, the first thing he did was mess his hair up in apparent frustration. It was too cute! But instead of smiling she said: “You’re dating her. She’s your girlfriend. You took her to prom. She made a big deal out of asking you.”

Ty smiled at that. “You said it. She asked me. I didn’t ask her. She made this major production and I was put on the spot. I didn’t want to go to prom. I even told Kyle that I was not taking her. Or for that matter going. That is was not my thing. I’m dating her, yes. I thought it would be easy. Kinda settle things at school for you.”

Annie scoffed: “You are dating Cee-Cee for me? Come on Ty!” Annie continued: “You take her everywhere. She goes to Kyle’s play. You hold hands with her all the time. She’s with you wherever you go eat. She’s with you at Gabe’s. She’s probably with you at those stupid gym parties. Pretty soon, I’m going to probably see you two on a date at Sullivan’s and I’m going to have to be your server. She is head over heels for you, that much is obvious.” Before she could continue, Ty interjected: “What about you and Simon?”

“What?”

“Simon? You’re gonna tell me he’s not into you? I see the way he looks at you.” Ty started, getting off the bed again and pacing. Just the thought of Simon made him see red.

“Simon is my friend.” Annie said.

Ty snorted at that. “Yeah. Right. He doesn’t see you as a friend Annie. He likes you. Do you like him? Are you dating him? Or well on your way to dating him? I saw the way you two were dancing tonight. If anyone is going to Sullivan’s, it’s you and him. I would never take Cee-Cee there by the way. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“I don’t believe this.” Annie said. “How did me asking you about Cee-Cee and you guys dating and mentioning it three times turn into you asking me about Simon?”

Ty covered his face with his hands and just went for it: “Because it’s driving me nuts! Thinking about you with him. Dancing with him, him touching you, looking at you. It fucking makes me insane!”

“You’re jealous?” Annie asked, stunned.

“Fucking right I am. Annie, Cee-Cee is fun to hang around with and a distraction that I needed when I didn’t know if what I felt for you was real. It was a way to keep you at arm’s length. I admit that now. But I can’t do it. I don’t want to anymore. I miss you, our friendship, but I want it to be more. I like you Annie. I really like you. And I know that it’s for real now.”

Annie smiled slightly. Wow. Just wow. Tyler Townsend liked her. This was so unreal. But the way that he was looking at her right now, she really was starting to believe it. So, she decided to go for it: “Ty, that kiss we shared that night, was the best kiss ever. I meant every word I said in that voice message. Every single word. I am falling for you. I like you and I like you more than a friend. That kiss meant everything to me.” Annie confessed. “Even drunk, I remember everything.”

She saw Tyler’s shocked expression turn to a small smile, as he sat back on the bed and leaned into her, slowly. “So…no Simon?” He joked, as she playfully slapped his arm and he leaned in to kiss her. The feel of her lips once more was heaven. He never felt like this with any other girl he had kissed before. It was different with Annie. It was special with Annie. Ty felt her lean in a bit closer and he pulled her towards him. He wanted Annie as close to him as he could get her, and the faster, the better.

She finally pulled back and laughed slightly. “You’re such a jerk!” she admonished. “You had to know that Simon is just a friend. I never flaunted him like you flaunted Cee-Cee.”

Ty winced and put his forehead on her shoulder. “Fine. We can talk about Cee-Cee.” He started as he picked up his head from her shoulder and grabbed her hand. “I wasn’t even into her that much. I mean she’s pretty and she made me laugh but you should know that you have a fan – one who believed that me dating Cee-Cee was going to be disastrous.”

“Who?” And before he could answer, she continued: “Tell me but I am not going to let you get away with not talking about Cee-Cee.”

“Gabe.”

“Gabe?”

“Yep.” Ty acknowledged. “He knows me well and he knew that I was lying to myself with Cee-Cee. I barely paid attention to her, but I knew she liked me, and she was throwing herself at me. I just thought that maybe – just maybe – if I dated her, they would forget about your message and just leave you alone.”

“So that’s what you meant a bit ago about Cee-Cee having nothing to do with us. But you gotta see how it looked to me. Or was that your goal?”

“I honestly didn’t know what my goal was.” Ty said, as he leaned in quickly and pecked her on the lips before he continued: “I just wanted to make the hurt that I saw on your face the night we fought go away. And if I couldn’t tell you how I felt because I didn’t know myself, keeping the spotlight off of you was something I could do. I’ve always wanted to protect you Annie.”

“It killed me to see you with her.” Annie confessed.

“When we had the mock trial and she laid into you? I was so mad at her. But you held your own. I wanted to jump up to your defense right then and there and then I saw Simon do it, and I saw your face. And then I wanted to strangle Simon. For being the one to defend you, when I couldn’t.”

“I was going to ask you what her deal was when you came up to me by the yellow bus but she came and told you she was having dinner with her dad and then she kissed your cheek and I just shut down.”

“That day?” Ty started. “When she kissed me on the cheek? That’s when I knew I couldn’t flaunt her to you. I didn’t want to. It made me feel so uncomfortable that she had kissed me – even if only on the cheek – in front of you. I can’t explain it. It felt like I was betraying you. Even though I took to heart that you said the kiss meant nothing, I guess I still held on to hope that maybe you were hiding your feelings for me.”

“I was so jealous.” Annie admitted. “Every single time that I saw you guys together, I wanted to rip her hair out. I would get so angry and hurt.”

“You hid it well.” He teased. “Her saying she wasn’t going to Wharton’s. I felt relief. And I felt hope that maybe you would come, and we could maybe hang out. But you burst my bubble by telling me that you were still grounded.”

Annie leaned forward this time and caressed Ty’s cheek with her hand and sought his lips for a kiss. Ty smiled into the kiss and confessed: “You have no idea how happy you make me. You reaching for me? It’s all I could think about these past few weeks. I wanted you to want to be with me.”

“So reality check…” Annie said, as she pulled back. “What about Cee-Cee?”

Ty rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry about Cee-Cee. I have to talk to her. I know that. But she’s not going to be in the middle of us two anymore. That’s over with.”

“Really?” Annie said, hopefully.

“Really.” Ty confirmed. “It’s you and me. That’s it. I don’t care what anyone says or does. You and me. We will figure our next steps together. How does that sound?”

“Perfect.” Annie said, truthfully.

“You’re perfect.” Ty said. “For me.”

______________________________________________


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I decided that I had too many thoughts that could continue this story...so here's Chapter 2.

Ty was semi laying on his favorite couch. His legs were directly in front of him and he was sitting upright. He knew it was time to call it quits with Cee-Cee. Since what happened with Annie, a few short hours ago, he knew he couldn’t prolong his breakup with her. He was ecstatic that he and Annie were together now and making a go at it. He had not felt such peace with himself, well, since his world imploded in front of him with their dad abandoning them for Noreen and his future half sibling. He had been so consumed by anger at that (probably still was) but having Annie be in his corner and supporting him and talking things through with her was going to make it better. Annie was already making things seems brighter in his world.

He had not wanted to leave Annie’s side tonight and he begged his mom and even pleaded his case to Ms. Dana Sue to let him stay. But the doctors, nurses and his mom and Ms. Dana Sue said that they both were better off if they got some sleep. Maddie stayed with Kyle and Annie’s mom stayed with her. He had wanted to argue but decided against it. They both knew that they had progressed in their relationship. He saw it on both their faces when they had walked in on them in Annie’s hospital room. There was no way they weren’t watching them like a hawk now. Which in and of itself was fine. They both knew their moms were excited that they had managed to finally start to get it right. They were smart though. If they were to be left alone, they were liable to not sleep at all and just continue holding each other, kissing each other, and talking; amongst other things. Ty smiled at that thought. Yep. That is exactly what would have happened. It felt like they needed to make up for lost time.

At first neither one had noticed their respective moms had opened the door to Annie’s hospital room. They were too wrapped up in their little world to listen or care to listen to a door opening. They caught them as Ty had leaned in to kiss her after Annie had made him laugh with a comment about how he had morphed into a giddy teenager, and not a broody one, when they confessed their feelings for one another. “It appears all I needed was you.” Ty had remarked and claimed her mouth once more. He could kiss her forever and never get tired of it.

“Well…well…well…” Dana Sue had said, as she chuckled. “I guess I owe you $20 bucks Maddie.”

Maddie laughed as they both walked into the room. It was nice to see them together and smiling. She had noticed some distance between them but wasn’t sure why. She had her suspicions that they both liked each other but didn’t know how to advance their friendship into potentially something more. The fear that had settled in the pit of her stomach as she saw Kyle being pulled out of the car, became less, a few hours ago when she realized that while he would be beat up for a while, he would make a full recovery. So, seeing both Ty and Annie together and smiling, warmed her heart. “You can pay me tomorrow…along with your meat loaf and mashed potatoes.”

They all laughed at that and Ty got up from Annie’s hospital bed but didn’t let go of her hand. “So…” Ty began. “I guess we should tell you guys that for some time we have been developing feelings for each other and tonight we talked about them, for the first time.”

Annie also stated: “But apparently our moms had their suspicions since it appears that they had some type of bet going on.”

Dana sue interrupted: “Well…Maddie did for sure. When she told me her suspicions, I wasn’t sure. I told her that I needed to pay more attention. But as I think about it now…yes all the signs were there.”

The nurse had stepped in and announced that visiting hours would be over soon and that only one person could stay. Both Maddie and Dana Sue looked at Ty even before he could say he wanted to. “No.” They said in unison.

“Why not?” Ty countered. “I can take care of Annie. I really don’t want to leave, and I can sleep on that chair. It doesn’t bother me.”

“Ty.” Maddie said. “I understand that you want to spend time with Annie and stay but I’m staying with Kyle and Dana Sue stays with Annie. You can come back in the morning and take over. Your dad will be here with Kyle. As long as you check on Kyle, which I know you want to do, you can come here and spend time with Annie before she gets discharged tomorrow.”

Feeling deflated, Ty bent down and kissed Annie’s forehead. “Sleep well, Annie.” He whispered in her ear. “I’ll be by here in the morning. And I promise they can’t make me leave then.”

Annie felt her stomach tighten – but in a good way – this time. Nerves and shivers were felt throughout her, as Ty kissed her one more time on her cheek. “See you tomorrow.” She said, softly, as he straightened up and looked at his mom. “I’ll come by first thing tomorrow.” Ty said, leaving no room for doubt.

“Good night, Ty. Katie will be with your dad. Do you want to maybe…”

“No.” Ty said, before she could finish. “I’ll be fine at home. No worries. I am not in a party mood or in a mood to invite people over. It’ll just be me mom.” He nodded and smiled at Dana Sue and made his way to the door before he could look back. He wanted to stay. But he also knew he couldn’t argue right now. He was pushing it by staying home alone. But he would rather eat glass than stay at his dad’s and Noreen’s. Even though Noreen was no longer there. It didn’t matter. He felt nauseous just thinking about their place.

Ty’s thoughts came back to the present and he heard his phone vibrate. It was a text from Cee-Cee. Apparently, he had missed a few of them. He knew he couldn’t prolong this anymore, so he looked at the text: **_“I know you’re busy with Kyle and I hope he’s ok. Just wanted to check on you.”_** No time like the present. He didn’t reply to the email and instead just picked up the phone and dialed her.

“Hey…” he heard Cee-Cee say, surprise in her voice that he had called. “I’m so worried about you.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” Ty started. “Listen Cee-Cee. I know this is a bad time, but I do need to talk to you. I want to do it in person.”

Cee-Cee laughed softly and uttered: “You sound so serious Ty. I mean I know you left me at Jackson’s house without even looking back but it’s okay. Your brother was in trouble.”

“Can you meet me by the ballfield at school?” Ty said. “If it’s not too late for you to go out.”

“I’ll figure it out.” Cee-Cee said, giddiness in her voice.

“I’ll be there in 15.” Ty said, and hung up. There was no easy way to break up with someone. What did you say? The cliché: It’s me, it’s not you was so lame. But truly, there really was no other option but the truth. Or at least some of it. He would never tell her that he had used her to try and forget Annie. That wasn’t fair to Cee-Cee. But she needed to know that when Annie was back in school, the news of them being together was going to be front and center. Because there was no way that he was hiding Annie or what he felt for her.

As he sat on the bleachers to wait for Cee-Cee his stomach was in knots. He was nervous. He didn’t know how Cee-Cee was going to react. He had no one to blame but himself really. He was the one that accepted her invitation to go the movies and he did it because she had told him that she understood that he and Annie were like siblings. He was starting to wonder if that was what Cee-Cee truly believed or had just said it because that is what he needed to hear at that moment. It seemed that she went after Annie harshly at the mock trial. Like if she wanted to humiliate her. He couldn’t be sure if it was because of him or not but he was sure of one thing: he had not liked it one bit and they had not had the chance to discuss it.

“Hey babe…” Ty heard Cee-Cee call out to him as she climbed the bleachers to sit next to him. As soon as she reached him, she leaned down to try and kiss him but Ty turned his head so she could not make contact with his lips, but his cheek instead. “Okay…” Cee-Cee said, as she sat down. “What’s going on?” Cee-Cee had a feeling she knew but she wasn’t going to make this easy on Ty. If he wanted to break up with her. He was going to have to say the words.

Ty turned to look at her and he felt his face get red. He had to do this. He had to. “Cee-Cee…” Ty started. “You’re a great girl…”

Cee-Cee rolled her eyes. “But?” She said, coldly. “Because there is a, but, right?”

“I just have to be honest with you. I think you’re pretty and I have fun with you but…” He confirmed by saying the actual word “but” – “I have feelings for someone else. They are not going to go away and it’s not fair to her. Or you. Or me for that matter.”

“Annie.” Cee-Cee said, a touch of sarcasm in her voice. “The girl you acknowledged to me you see as a sister?”

“I didn’t deny it, but I don’t think I actually acknowledged it.” Ty said. “But I have known Annie all my life. I don’t see her as a sister though. At least not anymore. I don’t think I ever did actually.”

“She told me you guys were just friends. The day at the gym. When she got drunk.”

Ty nodded his head. “But you didn’t believe her, did you?” He deadpanned.

Cee-Cee thought about denying it for a second but decided against it. She had never backed down from anything, she wasn’t going to start now. “No. I didn’t.”

“Then why come after me? I’m sure you suspected I was in the same boat she was. Not sure I wanted to ruin things between us since we’ve known each other forever.”

“Because I wanted you. Simple as that. I saw an opening and I took it.”

“Just like that?”

Cee-Cee shrugged her shoulders. “I really like you Ty. I was going to go for it. But I saw the way you two were at the mock trial, you giving her your jacket, then hugging her so close when you both found out that Kyle had been found and even how you almost jumped away from me when I kissed you before heading out with my dad. And maybe I suspected even before that. And then tonight at prom, I saw how you reacted to Annie getting in the car. There was no denying it anymore.”

“I’m sorry Cee-Cee. I never meant to string you along.”

Cee-Cee nodded her head knowing that was true. She had taken a risk and lost. “How are they?” Cee-Cee asked.

“They’re both going to be fine, thank God.”

“Have you already told her how you feel?” Cee-Cee asked.

“I have.” Ty said, not being able to keep a small smile from his lips.

Cee-Cee absolutely noticed. “Oh.” They had both moved fast.

“Cee-Cee, I’m sorry.” Ty apologized again. “But I wanted you to hear it from me. I am going to be with Annie. I like her. She’s important to me. And I can’t see you anymore.”

“Can you be honest with me?” Cee-Cee asked and continued before Ty could answer her. “Did you ever feel as much for me as you apparently do for Annie?”

“It was different.” Ty said, not wanting to hurt Cee-Cee’s feelings. “You are so much fun! And you’re pretty and any guy that is going to be in a relationship with you will be damn lucky. You deserve the best Cee-Cee. It’s just not going to be me.”

“Because for you, you’re hoping it’s Annie.”

Ty nodded his head. “It is Annie.”

“She’s a lucky girl Ty.” Cee-Cee said, as she got up and made her way down the bleachers. “I’ll see you around.”

“Bye.” Ty said, feeling a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He looked at his phone and brought up Annie’s contact info to send her a text. **_I just talked to Cee-Cee. It’s done._** He saw the bubbles light up immediately and waited before he headed down the bleachers. **_How do you feel?_**

**** **_Like a huge weight has been lifted off me._ **

**** **_No regrets?_ **

**** **_None._ **

**** **_You and me then?_ **

**** **_You and me._ **

**** **_Good night Ty. They just gave me something to sleep and relax. Be safe._ **

**** **_Good night Annie. I’ll be by first thing in the morning. Sleep tight. XO_ **

**** **_XOXOXO_ **

Ty smiled as he saw her last text. Things were certainly starting to look up. But tonight, it seemed that all the adrenaline and stress had finally caught up to him. He headed straight home, to bed and feel asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

**** **______________________________________________________________________________ **

The next morning Ty woke up by 6:00 am and shot out of bed. He zoomed into the bathroom, took a shower, turned on the coffee pot and waited by the coffee machine until coffee was ready. He got three thermal mugs that he could take. One for him, one for his mom and one for Ms. Dana Sue. He didn’t know if Annie would be able to have any coffee. He didn’t see why not but if she did, he would share his with her. They could do that now. The thought of them sharing their first cup of coffee made him chuckle and made him giddy all at the same time.

He exited the house and made his way to the hospital. His car had been totaled but he still had his mom’s car. Since she had stayed at the hospital, he was able to drive that for now. He parked in the hospital lot, grabbed all three mugs and made his way to the hospital entrance. He wanted to go see Kyle first, but he didn’t know what room he ended up in, so he entered Annie’s room quietly, not knowing if they were sleeping. They were.

He smiled as he laid the mugs on her hospital tray and leaned in to kiss her forehead. That made Annie stir, and she looked up at him with sleepy eyes. She smiled and groaned lightly. “Good morning sleepyhead.” Ty whispered.

Annie covered her face with her hands and chuckled. “Good morning…”

“What?” Ty asked, as Annie didn’t take her hands off of her face immediately.

“I look terrible Ty.” She said, not happy that she didn’t have a chance to at least try to look somewhat decent for him. “You could have at least sent a text telling me you were on your way. I would have at least brushed my hair.”

“Stop it.” He said, as he grabbed her hands and pulled them off her face. “You’re beautiful. It’s my first time seeing you as a sleepyhead. Let me enjoy it.” He finalized and laughed as she scrunched up her nose at him.

They both turned to look at Dana Sue. She had sat up on the sofa bed that she was laying on and smiled at them: “Is one of those mugs for me? If you say yes, you will be my favorite person today.”

Ty laughed good naturedly and took one of the mugs and walked it to Dana Sue. “Well of course I wanna be one of your favorite people. But not only today.”

“If it’s our special Sullivan roast that you brewed, you will be one of my favorite people till eternity.”

“Of course, it is. Is there any other kind you let us use in our house?” Ty said, jokingly.

“Well there’s that…” Annie said, laughing slightly. As she attempted to get out of bed, her whole body spasmed and she winced in pain. Ty was wrapping his arms around her immediately and asking: “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” Annie answered, as she met his concerned expression. “Just sore. But it doesn’t hurt too much. Help me up please. I need to go freshen up a bit.”

Dana Sue followed Ty to the edge of Annie’s hospital bed. Once Ty got her up, Dana Sue grabbed Annie by the waist. “I’ll help her in there. We’ll be right out.” Dana Sue finalized.

Ty wanted to be the one to help her but decided to not say anything. He knew that it was just his protective side and that Annie’s mom would want to take care of her as well. “Okay.” He found himself saying. “I am going to go see Kyle and take mom her coffee. I’ll be right back.”

“They’re right down the hall actually. We got lucky. Room 422.”

Ty nodded his head and looked at Annie one more time as she was being walked towards the bathroom. “I’ll be right back.”

Annie nodded and smiled. “Any coffee for me?”

“We can share mine.” He said, as he saw her face light up with his statement. He retuned the gaze just as adoringly. He then heard Dana Sue chuckling. “Awww puppy love…”

The both rolled their eyes and Ty made his way to the door. As he was walking towards Kyle’s room, he didn’t know what to expect. But he was going to ask for his forgiveness and maybe once he felt better, they could talk about what he meant by him ignoring him. He knew now was not the time, but he needed to fix things with his little brother. The sooner, the better.

He went into the room without knocking, just in case, they were still sleeping but as he stepped into the room, Ty saw his mom exiting the bathroom and Kyle sleeping still.

“Good morning Ty.” His mom said, as she looked at him gratefully as he handed her the coffee mug.

“Bless your heart.” She said, as she took a gulp of coffee.

“Thought you might need some. How did you sleep? How’s Kyle?”

“I slept as well as I could. Your brother is going to be okay. He woke up several times during the night when the nurses came to take his vitals so he’s resting now. I wouldn’t want to wake him up. I know you want to talk to him and see how he is. Maybe you can give him a bit of time?”

“Of course.” Ty said, as he approached Kyle’s bed and took the sight of him in. He looked so fragile laying there but thankfully he was going to be okay. He leaned in and kissed his forehead. “Love you buddy.” He whispered in his ear. He then looked at his mom and said: “I have my own coffee in Annie’s room. I’ll come back in a bit to sit with Kyle. What time is dad coming?”

“I’m assuming in an hour or so. Let me walk with you to Annie’s room so I can check up on her and Dana Sue.”

“Okay.”

As they walked down the hall, Ty felt his mom put her arm around his waist and she laid her head on his shoulder. “So you and Annie, huh?” Ty wrapped his arm around her shoulder and held her against him.

Ty chuckled. “Yeah. Are you okay with it?”

“As long as you treat her like she deserves, I am okay with it. More than okay actually.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I love Annie and I don’t know what the future holds in store for either of you, but I am glad that you have each other.”

“Me too.” He said, as he held her a tad tighter for a second and then let go. They had reached Annie’s room by now and Maddie opened the door and smiled: “Well good morning you two. Annie, honey, how are you feeling today?”

“Better.” She said, as Maddie saw her face light up at seeing Tyler directly behind her. She turned to look at her son and almost rolled her eyes because Ty had the same goofy expression on his face. Dana Sue and Maddie looked at each other and smiled.

Ty made his way to Annie’s side and bent down to kiss her cheek. He wanted to kiss her on the mouth and quite frankly not stop for hours but both of their mom’s were there and he couldn’t do it, so he resigned himself to kiss her on the cheek. He did, however, sit on the bed next to her. He pulled her towards him, and she willingly came to him and settled on his side, her head on this shoulder. “By the way Ty…” Annie said, as she handed him their coffee mug. “Excellent cup of coffee.”

Ty chuckled and shook his head as he took what she offered and took a sip of coffee himself. “Should I take credit for it or give your mom the credit for knowing how to pick a good batch of coffee for Sullivan’s?”

Dana Sue laughed and said: “It’s not only the beans, it’s also who makes it. So good job honey…”

Ty nodded his head in acknowledgment and took another sip. “What time do you think you’re going to be discharged?”

“Probably before noon.” Annie said. “I just need to be looked at this morning and if all is well then they’ll let me go. I’m hoping I can hang around though and see Kyle. I want him to know I’m here and that we are all rooting for him.”

“I actually would love it if you can stay. That way I can be with the both of you and not have to divide my time.” Tyler said, looking expectantly at Annie. It would be the best of both worlds for him.

“If it’s okay with mom, I’d like to hang around till you can maybe take me home?”

“We will see how you feel Annabelle.” Dana Sue said. “You may be too sore or in pain but if you are feeling okay then we can evaluate when they discharge you. I don’t want you to do too much or put more strain on your body than you have to. I need to take care of you and make sure that you’re okay.”

“Okay.” Annie acquiesced. “But I will feel much better if I’m here. I want to make sure that Kyle is okay.”

“If you are in pain or feel tired and have to go home, I’ll keep you in the loop, Annie.” Ty said, as he held her hand and brought it to his lips. It always seemed like he needed to touch her, no matter who was there. He had never felt that before with anyone else. This was all new to him. But he had a feeling that he was going to love every minute of this new emotion.

“Dana Sue and I are going to go get breakfast. We will be back soon with something for you guys as well. You two behave now. We are trusting you both to leave you guys alone here.” Maddie said, looking pointedly at Ty.

Ty raised his hands in surrender and exclaimed: “I will behave.”

That made Annie laugh as she saw both of their mothers leave her room. “Are you really going to behave?”

“Hell no…” Ty said, as he quickly turned towards her and bent down to kiss her. As soon as their lips touched, Annie’s hands wrapped around his neck and she opened her mouth to let Ty’s tongue sweep in. They both moaned at the new sensation and deepened their kiss ever further. “I have wanted to do that all morning.” Ty said, as he separated for them to take a breath. “I want to kiss you all day. And not stop. I love kissing you…” He said, as he dipped his lips down to hers again.

Neither of them heard the door open, they were too into each other, to hear anything. “Sorry…” they head a male voice said. “I can come back.”

Ty let go of Annie’s lips and groaned slowly. **_What the fuck?_** Annie put her hand on his chest lightly, sort of a warning for him to calm down. Ty heard Annie say: “Hi Simon. Come in.”

____________________________________________________________________________________

****

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know...I know...but there has to be a little drama right?


	3. Chapter 3

Simon smiled at Annie and swallowed the lump he felt in his throat at seeing the girl that he liked kissing Ty Townsend, the jock. What did she see in him? What did all girls see in him? He had humiliated her by sharing the message with his baseball teammates. Surely Simon thought that, that would be the nail in the coffin for Annie. “I just wanted to come in and check on you. Wanted to make sure that you were okay with my own eyes.” Simon finally said, as he looked at Annie and smiled, then turned his attention to Ty and just nodded his head solemnly.

Ty couldn’t take his eyes off of Simon. And the closer he got to the bed, the closer he got to Annie. “Thanks Simon.” Annie said. “It was scary for a bit there but both Kyle and I are going to be fine.”

Ty saw Simon nod his head towards him and he nodded back. But what he really wanted to do was either kick him out of Annie’s room and if he said no, he’d make him, or not even give him the opportunity to come any closer and just kick him the fuck out. Yeah. That would be nice. But he couldn’t and he wouldn’t because he respected Annie too much. And he also knew that Annie viewed Simon as a friend. He needed to remember that. A friend. Not someone to date. Not someone to like. A friend and nothing else. 

“I can’t believe you just jumped in the car with Kyle. You were gone before I could even react.” Ty heard Simon say, as he was brought back to the conversation at hand.

“Kyle is family Simon. I would do anything for him.” He heard Annie retort. He smiled slightly at hearing Annie’s tone. It was a bit annoyed and he kinda liked that. She would defend Kyle - and him for that matter - it seemed to anyone.

“I’m just glad you’re okay. Even though our date got cut short…” he smiled, his lame attempt at a joke. And if he were honest with himself, a great way to poke the beast that was Ty Townsend.

Annie looked at him and chuckled. “Sorry about that.”

Ty still had not said a word to either of them. He was just taking the conversation in and sizing up Simon and the way that he was looking at Annie. He didn’t like it one bit. He still saw how much he liked her. He wasn’t even trying to deny it. And he was standing right here. He was back to being a tad possessive when it came to Annie but he didn’t care. He wasn’t voicing it out loud – yet.

Simon finally looked at Annie and said: “Would you mind if we talked in private?”

Annie felt Ty stiffen at his question and she laid a hand softly on his forearm. “Ty…” Annie said, softly. “I think your dad might be relieving your mom. Wanna go tell him that they’re getting us breakfast and maybe you can finally talk to Kyle if he’s up?”

Ty couldn’t believe it. She had dismissed him. The look of hurt that passed through Ty’s face was not unnoticed by Annie but Simon had not seen it since Ty had turned to her in shock. She rubbed his arm lightly and lovingly and added: “Please…” Hoping that with her eyes she could convey how much she cared for him. She just needed to talk to Simon. And if she needed to, to let him down easily. Simon had told her that he liked her and wanted to take her to prom. She didn’t want to hurt him, and she felt that he needed to talk to her, and he deserved that.

Ty let go of Annie and pursed his lips into a thin line but got off from the bed, kissed her forehead and walked out the door without even looking at Simon. He knew that he was the one that Annie cared about and wanted to be with, but it still hurt. The door closed behind him and he started making his way towards Kyle’s room. There was nothing that he could do about Annie and Simon, so he wanted to go see his little brother. As he opened the door to Kyle’s room, he noticed that Kyle was awake and had the TV on. “Hey…where’s Dad?” Ty asked.

“He had to take an emergency call. No worries.” Kyle said, sheepishly.

Ty went to his bed and bent down to hug him as hard as he dared. “I am so glad you’re okay.” He said, as he held on tight.

“Thanks.” Kyle said, embracing him as hard as he could. “I’m sorry Ty.”

“We don’t have to talk about it today.”

“No. Let’s do it before Dad comes back.”

“Okay…” Ty said. “I guess I am just wondering where I messed up with you. You telling me that I ignored you, hit me hard Kyle. I mean I didn’t think that I was.”

Kyle nodded his head as tears filled his eyes. “I have been feeling very lonely lately.” Kyle started. “Mom has her Sweet Magnolia group, Dad left, and he wants to bond with you but what I want never seems important and you? We used to walk to school together and talk and lately you’ve been busy with your friends, and Cee-Cee. So, I kinda latched on to Noreen because she was lonely too. Or at least I think she was lonely too.”

Ty nodded his head not wanting to interrupt him: “So when she left, it just seemed like my world came crashing down. But Annie was grounded and so we spent some time together and then she said she was going to prom and that meant that the two of you were too busy for me and you both would be in the same room, without me. I just am tired of feeling left out. It seemed that I lost you and Annie at the same time and we always used to do stuff together.”

“Why didn’t you say something before?” Ty asked. “We could have talked about it. I would have made time for you. I would have supported you more. I feel awful when I told you that I was glad that Noreen was gone. I didn’t realize that you had bonded with her so much. Annie just told me that and now I understand it. I guess I hate her because she ruined everything. We were happy Kyle when we were a family and she got pregnant and Dad abandoned us for her. It just is a hard pill to swallow, one that I don’t think I can get over.”

“See you and Dad? You guys have a connection with baseball that I will never have. I don’t like sports; he loves them and so do you. He is so proud of you and he’s trying to make things right with you, but it seems that Katie and I don’t matter. Well he actually did spend some time with Katie without me, so she had that as well.”

“I don’t want him to make things right with me.” Ty countered. “I hate him for what he did to mom.”

“But you still love him?” Kyle said, understanding the mixed emotions that Ty was going through.

“Yes.” Ty said, as his eyes filled with tears. “But it seems like we all meant nothing to him. Not just mom, all of us and if he makes you feel worse than that’s another strike against him. But you have to know that I love you. And I will be there for you and I will support you. And I will make it a point to be more interested in what you’re interested. I’m sorry Kyle. So sorry.”

“It’s okay. I wasn’t saying anything. I just held it all in and started getting angrier and angrier. And then to top it all off we ended up at Jackson’s house and Nellie and I were having a great time and her stupid brother had to come ruin it.”

“So, Nellie huh?” Ty teased. “What’s going on there?”

Kyle smiled sheepishly. “I don’t know. She’s fun. She invited me over to play video games and I thought that was cool.”

“Sounds good. Just be careful. Her family is drama.” Ty said, jokingly as he laughed.

Kyle decided to stay quiet on the whole Annie thing. There was no reason to bring it up to Ty. The less he knew about that, the better. Besides, he knew where he stood now and if his instincts were correct, he could swear that Annie had a thing for Ty. Even though she went to prom with Simon.”

“How’s Annie?” Kyle asked. At the mention of her name, Ty’s face lit up and he smiled sheepishly himself.   
“Wait.” Kyle said, as he looked at Ty. “Uhm…what’s that look?”

“Nothing…” Ty said, the grin not leaving his face. “She’s good. Annie thinks the doctor will discharge her before noon and she’s negotiating with Ms. Dana Sue for her to be able to stay in your room so we could all be here.”

“That would be nice.” Kyle said. “I need to apologize to her too.”

“She cares about you Kyle. She told me that she knew that either her or I needed to get to you first. And she didn’t know where I was, so she was the closest one to the car and she just reacted. She wanted to be in the car with you, so she could see what was bothering you.”

“So… again what is that smile you had when I mentioned Annie?”

“I told her that I had feelings for her.” Ty confessed, trying to gauge Kyle’s reaction. He had his suspicions that maybe Kyle had a mini crush on Annie. He didn’t know how much of a crush, but he hoped that it wouldn’t be a problem.

“What about Cee-Cee?” Kyle asked.

“We broke up. Well I broke up with her. There’s a lot to tell but I want to make sure you’re okay with this. Annie and me that is.”

“I am.” Kyle said, honestly. “I think I have known for a while that Annie likes you. It was hard on her to see you with Cee-Cee.”

“Yeah. Well…” Ty said, his mood changing dramatically. “It’s hard for me to see her with Simon and right now he’s in her room.” He said, as his jealousy was rearing its ugly head again. “He told her he wanted to talk to her alone.” Ty rolled his eyes. “And Annie asked me to come and check on you.”

“And you’re jealous?” Kyle said, as he chuckled.

“Yes.” Ty didn’t even bother to deny it.

“Annie probably wanted to let him know what’s going on and wanted him to be spared the humiliation of her letting him down easy with you in the room.”

“She asked me to leave.” Ty reiterated and shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t like it one bit.”

Kyle did laugh out loud at that and grabbed his ribs. “That’s what I get for laughing at you. Trust me bro, you have nothing to worry about. Annie has always only had eyes for you.”

Ty took Kyle’s words to heart. He would know. He was always around them. “Did you know about me and how I felt about her?”

“You were harder to figure out. I think I saw it but wasn’t sure. Annie – with Annie – I was sure. But after she kissed you, I saw how you started to see her differently. And when you told me that this situation was between you and her. I knew then.” Kyle said, honestly. “That the both of you were falling for one another but didn’t know how to voice it with each other.”

Ty nodded his head at his little brother. He had always been the smartest one in the room it seemed…and he definitely was right about what he just said.

“Yeah…yeah…yeah…” Ty found himself saying, as he ruffled his little brothers hair.

___________________________________________________________________________

**_ Meanwhile in Annie’s hospital room… _ **

Simon approached the bed and pulled a chair. “So how are you really?” Simon asked, concern in his eyes. “What did I walk in on?

Not one to beat around the bush, Annie thought. “I am good Simon. Really good. I mean it sucks that I am in a bit of pain and sore but all in all…I’m pretty good.”

“And you and Ty?” Simon asked, a tad fearful but wanting to know the truth.

“We are together now.”

“What about Cee-Cee?”

“We talked about it and they are no longer an item. Ty and I had a lot of things to hash out, but we’ve talked, and we are trying to give us a chance.” Annie said truthfully.

“He’s going to end up hurting you. Just like he did with the voice message you sent him.” Simon said. “Annie, he doesn’t deserve you.” Why couldn’t Annie see that?

Annie looked at Simon. “Simon, you’re my friend. You have been a good friend but my relationship with Ty has nothing to do with you. I have known him my whole life. We hit a rough patch, but we talked and we’re good.”

“I wanted to give us a shot. I told you I liked you Annie. I meant that.”

“I know. And I’m sorry. Sometimes Simon you don’t own your heart. It decides to give itself to someone and you have no control over it. That’s what happened with me on how I feel about Ty. I want you to be happy Simon. It’s just not with me.”

As soon as Annie finished her sentence, Ty walked in the room. He didn’t even knock. “Hey…” Ty said, as he looked directly at Annie. “I brought our moms with. They have breakfast all ready.” Ty made it a point not to even look at Simon. “You ready, babe?” To be honest, he saw Maddie and Dana Sue walking down the hall, they weren’t technically, directly behind him, but he wasn’t willing to give Simon another minute alone with Annie. “I bet you need more than coffee.”

The ‘babe’ didn’t go unnoticed by Annie or Simon for that matter. Simon got up off the chair and looked at Annie. “Remember what I told you. I’ll see you at school. We will talk about future articles for the paper.”

“Thanks for stopping by Simon.” Annie said, as she saw her mom and Maddie make their way into her room and Ty made his way to sit next to her in bed. He also did his best to not roll his eyes. Annie knew he wanted to grill her on what Simon had told her, but he was going to have to wait. “Was that Simon?” Dana Sue asked perplexed.

“Yep.” Ty said, tightly. “Isn’t he sweet? To stop by and check up on Annie.” He exclaimed, as his arm went around Annie.

Dana Sue and Maddie looked at each other and chuckled. “Woah.” Maddie said. “Ty come on…really? Are you jealous?”

“No.” Ty said, flatly, not looking at either of them.

Annie smiled. “I tell Ty he’s just a friend.” Ty then really rolled his eyes and grunted.

“Mmmmhmmm…” Maddie and Dana Sue said. “We’re not getting into that. Let’s talk breakfast!” Maddie said. “We brought an omelet, hash browns and French toast. We figured since you share coffee, you’d want to share this too.”

They both laughed. “That sounds delicious.” Ty said. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was. I went to go see Kyle mom. He’s up. Dad had an emergency call and he had not come back by the time I made my way back here. But we talked and he seems good.” Ty finished, as he took a bite of the omelet and smiled. “For hospital food, that’s really good. Try it babe.” He told Annie, realizing that he liked calling her that. It was no longer only for Simon’s benefit It had bothered him when Cee-Cee called him ‘babe’ but he realized that he saying it to Annie, just felt right. And he had never called Cee-Cee ‘babe’. That he was sure of. It seemed like that term of endearment had always been on reserve for his Annie.

“Let’s see…” she said, as she cut into the omelet herself and took a bite. She nodded her head in agreement as she chewed. She then took a sip of coffee. They ate the rest of their breakfast. Maddie excused herself to go check on Kyle.

The doctor had come in shortly after, discharging Annie, with instructions of her taking it easy if her body felt sore or if any sudden movements hurt. But no other restrictions. Dana Sue had agreed to let her go to Kyle’s room while she checked up on things at the restaurant and then they would revisit if she came to get her or Ty could take her home a bit later. They did have to take her to Kyle’s room in a wheelchair. Ty immediately took control of the chair, guiding her. They stopped by the elevator to say bye to Dana Sue and then they continued on their way.

Before getting to Kyle’s room though, Ty stopped at a waiting area on the hall floor and sat in a chair. He turned Annie towards him, pulling her close. Annie smiled at him and placed her hands on his cheeks: “You want me to tell you what Simon told me before we go in and are surrounded by people.”

Ty grabbed on to Annie’s hands on his cheeks. “Do I have anything to be worried about?” He asked, a touch of fear was heard in his voice.

“No baby…no.” Annie said, seriously, hearing the fear in his voice. “You were right. He does like me. And I knew it, but I never gave him any hope. I told him that you and I were working things out and that we’re together.”

“What else?” Ty said. He knew Annie and she was holding back. He could feel it in the way she was not meeting his eyes, shifting her gaze down the hall, to the floor, at him, and repeat.

Annie closed her eyes and breathed deeply. “Ty, whatever he said, it’s not important, all right?”

Ty grasped Annie’s hands and took them away from his face. As soon as her hands were by her side, his hands went back to his face and he rubbed his face tiredly but didn’t utter a word. In his gut he knew that Annie would tell him but now he didn’t know how he would react to what he had told her. A part of him wanted to know and the other wanted to let it go.

The sad look coming from him directed at her broke her heart and she caved. “He thinks that you’re going to hurt me. The same way you hurt me with the voice message. He says you don’t deserve me.” Annie confessed. At the look of dismay in Ty’s face she quickly continued: “Ty, I don’t believe that. I don’t. Who cares what he thinks? He doesn’t know what actually happened. You explained it to me, and I believe you. Please Ty…” Annie said, as she wrapped her hands around his neck. “Can we just forget about it?” She bent down and kissed him softly on the lips.

Annie’s words were ringing in his ears and in his head and he knew that what Simon believed wasn’t true. He would do anything in his power to never hurt Annie again and she believed it. But it made him – for a moment – second guess himself. But he put those thoughts aside and concentrated on Annie. He finally smiled at her and kissed her back. “You’re right. I will do everything in my power to never hurt you again. I may fuck up and we may fight but I will never – Annie never – put you in the position I put you in a few weeks ago. You know that, right?”

Annie smiled widely. “I do know that.”

“And by the way…” Ty said, as he got up from the chair, planted another kiss on her lips, and rounded the wheelchair so he could maneuver it again. “I kinda liked you calling me baby…” he muttered as he leaned down and whispered that in her ear.

Annie laughed. “Yeah? Well you calling me babe is kinda nice too…”

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**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Annie and Ty story. Would love to know your thoughts...


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